Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi turned and left with the bowl in his hand.

The shop boy muttered under his breath, “Not even a word of thanks. What a strange old man.”

Not far from the cloth shop, Li Guanqi bought a small house. It was neither large nor luxurious, no different from an ordinary family’s home.

Li Guanqi settled in Lin Smoke City. Each day, he carried a stone from the river and called out in the streets, offering to sharpen knives. His fee was low. No matter the item, he charged a single coin.

His sharpening was quick and effective. Before long, word spread through the city of a blind man called Old Li whose knife-sharpening skills were unmatched.

Sword Spirit lay on a rocking chair and said softly, “You’ve decided on this family?”

“Yes. This family is good. I searched their divine consciousness, and their character is sound. They’re neither rich nor poor, so Sui’an won’t suffer. Both parents are alive and healthy, and they don’t favor sons over daughters. They have kind faces, and the man is hardworking and upright—he won’t cheat in business. His trade won’t grow large, but it’s steady.”

Sword Spirit’s lips curved upward. “You’ve thought it through.”

She swept the hair from her forehead. “So be it.”A delicate treasure pagoda appeared in her palm. She looked at Li Guanqi. “Are you certain?”

Li Guanqi’s hands paused, and he nodded. His voice was hoarse. “Yes. The bloodshed of the cultivation world isn’t for her. A peaceful, healthy, ordinary life would suit her best.”

Sword Spirit nodded. The pagoda in her hand shone with a gentle light, and a ray of spirit light shot forth.

Half a month later, Li Guanqi visited the cloth shop again. His hair was loosely tied back. He said softly, “Yun Xiang, do you have scissors to sharpen?”

Yun Xiang hurried over with a wide grin. “Haha, Old Li, haven’t seen you around lately! Yes, yes, sharpen all the scissors this time! Hahaha!”

As he handed the scissors over, he slapped his head. “I almost forgot!”

Li Guanqi stood quietly. Yun Xiang brought out a set of coarse white robes and smiled. “The cloth is not the finest, but it’s comfortable.”

Li Guanqi looked at the robes. “What’s this for?”

Yun Xiang laughed. “Old Li, my wife’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father! You’re still wearing that old purple-black robe, and it’s getting worn. Shao Yue has been worried since the weather’s turning cold, so she made you this.”

Shao Yue came from the back, her voice warm. “Old Li, try it. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll adjust it.”

Li Guanqi smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute. “Congratulations.”

He did not take the robes immediately. Instead, he looked at Yun Xiang and asked softly. “May I give your child a blessing?”

Yun Xiang nodded, a little uncertain. “Of course.”

Shao Yue blushed, murmuring, “My belly isn’t even showing yet…”

Li Guanqi’s eyes reddened as he approached her. He sealed the blood aura of his Daoist robes, stopped one chi away, and crouched gently.

He whispered, “Then I bless you… to be happy, joyful, carefree, and healthy.”

He stood, turned, and tore a palm-sized strip from his clean white inner robes.

He handed it to her with a smile. “If you’re sewing the baby’s clothes, you can put this on the chest.”

She froze, realizing he meant to contribute to a hundred-family garment[1] for the unborn child. She accepted the feather-light cloth solemnly.

After Li Guanqi left, the couple stared at the cloth. They couldn’t identify its material, but they knew it was precious. Shao Yue whispered, “Old Li must be from a well-to-do family. We should take better care of him.”

Soon after, the couple began collecting pieces of cloth along the street for the hundred-family garment.

Li Guanqi sat on a stool outside, sharpening scissors and watching in silence.

Spring passed, autumn came. Cold followed heat. Throughout the year, he sharpened blade after blade, but his cultivation didn’t wane. With each stroke, his heart grew calmer.

Though his heart held endless regret, he slowly let go.

From the eaves hung a purple-black two-tiered pagoda. Li Guanqi raised his hand and sent a surge of vital force into it. The faint wailing within grew strong again.

Sword Spirit appeared behind him. “Are you nervous?”

Li Guanqi sat in a thick coat, hands tucked in his sleeves. He smiled. “A little…”

“Don’t worry. In this life… she will have no spirit root.”

“I know.”

At midnight, Li Guanqi stood at the corner of the courtyard, pacing anxiously.

Inside, lights blazed and everyone was busy. Several elders stood outside, craning their necks to see in.

Yun Xiang was sweating, his fists clenched nervously. He’d heard childbirth was agony, yet Shao Yue had barely uttered a sound.

Something cold touched Li Guanqi’s cheek. Snowflakes drifted down, blanketing everything in silver. He murmured, “It’s snowing.”

He looked toward the room where the child had been born. “May she not suffer too much…”

The midwife stared in astonishment. She had never seen such a smooth birth. A loud cry filled the room.

The midwife wrapped the baby in the hundred-family garment, shouting with joy. “The baby is born! A daughter!”

Yun Xiang rushed in to comfort his sweaty, exhausted wife, his heart aching for her. He turned to the pink-skinned child.

The elders crowded around, laughing and talking as they watched the baby grasp with its tiny hands. They teased the baby and fussed over Shao Yue.

“Yun’er, you haven’t named her yet. Quickly, think of something.”

Yun Xiang looked at the snow outside and smiled softly. “Her name will be Yun Chuxue.”[2]

For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow outside, but the elders pulled his attention back.

“Wow! This child is going to have huge eyes in the future.”

“She’s beautiful! I can tell she’s going to be a lucky girl.”

Whoosh!

The purple-black pagoda flew into Li Guanqi’s waist. Hands clasped behind his back, he whispered, “Yun Chuxue… What a good name.”

Sword Spirit looked at the falling snow. “Aren’t you going to stay longer?”

Li Guanqi shook his head. “In this life, she is herself. I don’t want tragedy to befall her because of me again.”

She stared at Li Guanqi, whose back gradually straightened once more. She knew it would take a very long time for him to fully heal from this regret.

Sword Spirit gazed at Lin Smoke City, peaceful and serene. She felt his choice was right.

If the girl reincarnated in the Immortal World or the Underworld, no one could say what it would bring. Li Guanqi couldn’t watch over her constantly.

It was better to live again with a warm family, surrounded by the love of parents and elders. She would marry, bear children, and live a stable, happy life.

1. A hundred-family garment is a Chinese tradition of making clothes for a child using cloth scraps from a hundred families. This represents a hundred families’ well-wishes for the child, hoping they will grow up happy and healthy. ☜

2. 云初雪 – Yun Chuxue means “first snow.” ☜